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TRAVELLER
ROTARYDOWNUNDER.ORG | 53 |
“Te Kai Waho literally means ‘outdoor
food’, and there’s plenty of that.
Visitors can hunt deer – but only
ageing stags and old hinds to cull the
herd. Or go fishing in the local streams,
and then Tom gets them to build their
own fire or to help lay down the hangi.”
plenty of that. Visitors can hunt deer –
but only ageing stags and old hinds to
cull the herd. Or go fishing in the local
streams, and then Tom gets them to
build their own fire or help lay down
the hangi.
The whare (lodge) sleeps eight and
has a full kitchen and bathroom. It’s
fed by a local stream, and uses solar
power for light and gas for cooking.
There’s a large outdoor cooking and
sitting area looking down the valley
and across to the barren hillsides.
There is a garden with yams and
kamokamo, the large, round courgette
or Maori squash.
Food is seasonal; Tom and his
helpers gather pikopiko, a fern used
as a vegetable or a garnish, and green
fiddlehead, the coiled green fern that
some say tastes like asparagus. There is
also riwai, the purple Maori potato.
“People come to connect with
Indigenous lifestyles. They want a view
about those lifestyles. I offer a personalised
Maori experience,” says Tom.
His is quite consciously spreading
the Maori culture. “My vision is to
have umpteen opportunities for Maori
to tell our stories. Some are not nice,
but they are part of our history, part of
what makes us.”
This remote piece of hill country is
accessed through 20kms of private
road running up behind Lochinvar
Station, which is at the Taupo end of
the Napier Taupo highway.
Close to town, but suddenly and
very quickly remote. Once off the
main highway the only person we see
all day is Nigel, the local pest-control
officer, heading home as we arrive.
There’s an airstrip at the entrance to
the whare. Light planes and helicopters
use it regularly for pick off. That’s the
calibre of his customers. He charges
$A1200 per couple per day to provide
the experiences his clients want.
He doesn’t advertise. “The clients
find me, and we talk about what they
want to do and the time they have to
do it. For these people money isn’t a
factor. They know what they want and
can afford to pay. Getting what they
want is more important than the cost.
“I had this Chinese guy from Hong
Kong, a very successful businessman,
who could afford to go anywhere and
buy anything.
“He came here and he was
fascinated by birds. I took him to where
he could watch birds, and suddenly he
was right in his happy place. He was
(Photo: Tom Loughlin)